Wine Focus for August: What'll it be?

[Robin Garr]

Holy Moly, new month starts Wednesday!

Let's try and come up with something that will get David back in the flock.

[David M. Bueker]

Bah!

How about wines of New Zealand ? There certainly would be lots to p[ick from. We have 5 wineries here now for our International Pinot Noir Conference, IPNC.
Besides Sauvignon Blanc for whites there are some other, as they refer to them, aromatics.

Let's try and come up with something that will get David back in the flock.

Would Riesling work? I'm happy to with that any time.

[James Roscoe]

How about wines of New Zealand ? There certainly would be lots to p[ick from. We have 5 wineries here now for our International Pinot Noir Conference, IPNC.
Besides Sauvignon Blanc for whites there are some other, as they refer to them, aromatics.

And EVERYONE knows David's deep feelings for New Zealand SB!

Remember that there are other wines besides Sauv Blanc.

We would support either option as presented: New Zealand or Rielsing.

Well I don't participate much as my wine drinking is more focused than Wine Focus, but for what it's worth, I don't think I've seen much discussion of New Zealand. That could be a nice change? With several different white grapes to choose from.

Think Rahsaan is spot on, availability is good and some nice wines out there. Might think of trying a Chardonnay before I head off to Saskatchewan.

[David M. Bueker]

I can support New Zealand.

[Robin Garr]

I can support New Zealand.

I see a consensus forming. Just anything New Zealand? That would be okay with me. (I'm not a huge SB fan either.) Michael, with your interest in NZ, can we count on you to help keep things hopping?

I'll try to join in with NZ. I have nothing in my cellar and availability is not great here. There are a couple of shops in Brussels with a decent choice but with hardly anything at less than €15 so not likely to be strong contenders in the QPR sweet spot stakes. The local supermarket has some of the inevitable Kiwi SB and I will be curious to see what it is like?

Good for you Tim, wonder which ones you have available?

I am here in Oregon and sell wine for a living. I got to visit New Zealand back in 2006. We also have 5 producers who participated in IPNC this weekend. We have about 30+ producers sold here in Oregon. In fact I was just given some samples of Craggy Range to share with another wine steward.

Good for you Tim, wonder which ones you have available?

Here's a link to one of the shops http://www.migsworldwines.be/wines.php? ... &filter=14 and an extract from the list of another

Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 2006 € 27.90
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2010 € 23.50
Craggy Ranges Sauvignon Blanc 2008 € 14.90
Dog Point Chardonnay 2007 € 22.00
Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc 2010 € 15.00
Dog Point Section 94 B Sauv. B. 2009 € 22.00
Dog Point Pinot Noir 2008 € 24.90
Isabel Estate Sauv. Blanc 2006/08 € 15.80
Isabel Estate Pinot Noir 2005 € 18.90
The Ned Sauvignon Blanc 2010 € 8.90
Millton (o) Chenin Blanc 2007 € 14.90
Neudorf Chardonnay 2007 € 23.80
Neudorf Pinot Noir 2004 € 25.40
Oyster Bay Chardonnay 2008 € 10.90
Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2010 € 10.90
Oyster Bay Pinot Noir 2009 € 12.80
Oyster Bay Merlot 2009 € 10.90
Pegasus Bay Canterbury Sem. Sau 2006 € 19.90
Pegasus Bay Maestro Merl./Malbec 2001 € 36.90
Seresin (o) Sauv. Blanc 2009 € 18.90
Villa Maria Sauv. Blanc 2010 € 11.50
Waimea Sauvignon Blanc 2010 € 12.00
Wild Rock Pania Chardonnay 2008 € 12.00
Wild Rock Gravel Pit Merl./Malbec 2008 € 12.00
Wild Rock Cupid’s Arrow Pinot Noir 2009 € 14.90
Wither Hills Chardonnay 2009 € 10.50
Wither Hills Sauv. Blanc 2009 € 10.50

I know Cloudy Bay, of course, and have had confidence building experience of a Dog Point Chard and some good tastes of Neudorf but most of the other estate names are unfamiliar. Can anyone give recommendations, please?

Both look overweight on SB and there is no Syrah, which NZ can do very well.

Might be able to join in with NZ, amd probably will be opening a 1999 Walnut Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon from Martinborough anyway - we picked it up recently from wineshop in Cambridge for under a tenner and despite likely being at the tail end of it's life, I've got a soft spot for Cab Sav from Martinborough, even if it's mostly all been grubbed up now. If it's good, we may be back with the hoover!

Apart from that we've got a few from Te Mata: Elston, Coleraine and one we've not yet tasted, their Bullnose Syrah. Also a handful of other wines, so may be encouraged to crack a few.

Good for you Tim, wonder which ones you have available?

Here's a link to one of the shops http://www.migsworldwines.be/wines.php? ... &filter=14 and an extract from the list of another

Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 2006 € 27.90
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2010 € 23.50
Craggy Ranges Sauvignon Blanc 2008 € 14.90
Dog Point Chardonnay 2007 € 22.00
Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc 2010 € 15.00
Dog Point Section 94 B Sauv. B. 2009 € 22.00
Dog Point Pinot Noir 2008 € 24.90
Isabel Estate Sauv. Blanc 2006/08 € 15.80
Isabel Estate Pinot Noir 2005 € 18.90
The Ned Sauvignon Blanc 2010 € 8.90
Millton (o) Chenin Blanc 2007 € 14.90
Neudorf Chardonnay 2007 € 23.80
Neudorf Pinot Noir 2004 € 25.40
Oyster Bay Chardonnay 2008 € 10.90
Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2010 € 10.90
Oyster Bay Pinot Noir 2009 € 12.80
Oyster Bay Merlot 2009 € 10.90
Pegasus Bay Canterbury Sem. Sau 2006 € 19.90
Pegasus Bay Maestro Merl./Malbec 2001 € 36.90
Seresin (o) Sauv. Blanc 2009 € 18.90
Villa Maria Sauv. Blanc 2010 € 11.50
Waimea Sauvignon Blanc 2010 € 12.00
Wild Rock Pania Chardonnay 2008 € 12.00
Wild Rock Gravel Pit Merl./Malbec 2008 € 12.00
Wild Rock Cupid’s Arrow Pinot Noir 2009 € 14.90
Wither Hills Chardonnay 2009 € 10.50
Wither Hills Sauv. Blanc 2009 € 10.50

I know Cloudy Bay, of course, and have had confidence building experience of a Dog Point Chard and some good tastes of Neudorf but most of the other estate names are unfamiliar. Can anyone give recommendations, please?

Both look overweight on SB and there is no Syrah, which NZ can do very well.

Tim,
What you have is a list of good to excellent producers. It's pretty heavy in Sauvignon Blanc, which only elicits so much excitement, but within that category the examples by Wither Hills, Seresin and Isabel are very good. The Dog Point Section 94 is an oak-aged version that is quite different from the norm.

Mark Lipton

That is a good list but yes no reds really. My go-to SBs would be The Ned, Villa Maria, Seresin. Have not tried Dog Point but read good things! I always like Isabel.

Tim
Isabel have impressed in the past and Millton have a good name for their Chenin Blanc - the grape still being unpopular hence the price remains low. Which reminds me that I have a 2007 Esk Valley Chenin that it might be a decent time to open. Pegasus Bay certainly good - a shame no riesling though.
regards
Ian